A heatwave scorching the western US region has elevated the risk of hazardous fire conditions particularly in parts of Oregon and Washington, where low humidity and powerful winds have put officials on alert for wildfire spread.
The National Weather Service has forecast blistering temperatures through early next week that could climb from 110F to 120F across the south-west. In the Pacific north-west, highs reaching into the 90s are expected in the days to come.
Several western states are dealing with devastating wildfire seasons.
In Oregon, about 1.8m acres (730,000 hectares) have reportedly been torched, as of July.
A rare “particularly dangerous situation” was assigned to a red flag warning in effect for eastern Oregon on Saturday, where weather officials have forecast gusts of wind from 30-40mph.
In Washington, more than 1,000 fires have torn through roughly 425,000 acres, a level of destruction not seen since 2021, according to the state department of natural resources. State officials are also working to contain 12 large fires that cumulatively have set more than 200,000 acres ablaze.
The active wildfire year comes as the state is in a drought, owing to insufficient snowpack. The state depends on snowmelt to fill its rivers and reservoirs, but this year, precipitation fell more as rain than as snow, according to the Washington department of ecology.
The confluence of drought conditions, dangerous heat and strong winds led the Washington governor, Bob Ferguson, to temporarily ban outdoor burning through the end of September.
“Our firefighters are already stretched thin across the state, and with more heat and wind expected this weekend and for the rest of the summer, any new spark on our tinder dry landscapes can lead to another devastating wildfire,” said Dave Upthegrove, the state’s commissioner of public lands, in a news release.
